I had tried to get tickets when they came on sale. I was up at dawn, loaded up my laptop, and was in the queue the minute sales happened. Alas, I was 17,380 in the queue, and with a 4 ticket maximum, and “only” 35,000 tickets to be sold (2 nights, 17,500 each), I knew I wouldn’t get a ticket. I closed my laptop and silently mourned that I’d not get to see her. I had seen Joni once before in 1975, and was blown to smithereens. I’ve been a Joni fan since the late 60s. Anyway…a few weeks ago, an ad for the Hollywood Bowl popped into my FB feed, and I wondered who was coming (I had completely forgotten about Joni Jam) - so I clicked and saw the 2 shows. Deciding to see how ridiculous the resales were, I looked at tickets. $1,000, $850, $675, and wait, what? $125? A ticket. In the Bowl? I quickly searched, and lo and behold 3 tickets at face value. No idea how they weren’t scooped up, but I grabbed one (my love wasn’t interested). Within a minute the other 2 were now gone (gave me zero time to check with my 2 dear friends).
Last night was the show. I took the park and ride option and off I went.
Unreal! By far a top 5 performance of my life. Joni was amazing. Her voice clear and solid. She did 2 full sets, and each pulled material so deep into her catalog that the entire 17,500 of us in the Bowl were rapt, to the point that (and no exaggeration), you could hear her and the instruments with no one talking, no wrappers being futzed with, none of the “usual” drunk or high audience members being sloppy. Just silence. And the moon overhead. And Joni. And her “Jam” friends.
Joni Jam last night at the Hollywood Bowl - one for the books for sure! The set list…
Set One - Brandi Carlile, Jacob Collier, Lucius, Blake Mills, Robin Pecknold, and others
“Be Cool”
“Harlem in Havana”
“Hejira”
“Cherokee Louise”
“Coyote”
“Carey”
“Sire of Sorrow” (Job’s Sad Song)
“God Must Be a Boogie Man”
“Sunny Sunday”
“If I Had a Heart”
“Refuge of the Roads”
“Night Ride Home”
“Both Sides Now”
Set Two - now joined by Taylor Goldsmith, Wendy Melvoin, Lisa Coleman, Marcus Mumford, Celisse, Annie Lennox (who later joined Mitchell for a powerful rendition of “Ladies of the Canyon”), Allison Russell, Rita Wilson, and Jon Batiste
“Big Yellow Taxi”
“Raised on Robbery” (Jon Batiste piano duet)
“California” (Marcus Mumford)
“Magdalene Laundries”
“Ladies of the Canyon” (Annie Lennox)
“Summertime”
“Come in From the Cold”
“A Case of You”
“I’m Still Standing”
“Dog Eat Dog”
“Amelia”
“If”
“Shine”
“Circle Game”
